Lonnie

Chisenhall

Chisenhall discussed the decision at a jersey dedication ceremony at Newport Middle School in North Carolina. It came down to his injuries (just 29 games played over the past two seasons) and that he wants to stay close to home and his three kids. Chisenhall, 31, walks away with a .268/.320/.427 batting line and 64 homers over 688 major league games, all with the Indians. He signed with the Pirates last year, but didn’t appear in a game due to a calf injury.

“He’s going to take some time here,” Huntington said. Chisenhall appears to be over the fractured right index finger that initially put him on the injured list, but it sounds like the calf will keep him out indefinitely. He was limited to just 29 games last season because of injuries to both calves.

Nothing has changed in his recovery process, this was merely done as a procedural move to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for Rookie Davis who was added on Saturday. Chisenhall was recently pulled back from his minor league rehab assignment for non-injury reasons.

It sounds like this might be some sort of private family matter. Chisenhall went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in his last rehab game at Triple-A Indianapolis on May 15. He’s been on the injured list all year.

Chisenhall initially landed on the injured list with a fractured right index finger and then strained his calf in late April, but he’s game-ready now. He might need a decent number of rehab games considering he’s been out all season.

He’s also going to do some straight-line running and could incorporate more side-to-side work on Wednesday. Chisenhall landed on the injured list at the end of spring training with a fractured hand and then suffered a strained calf muscle in late April. He could be an option for the Pirates sometime in mid-to-late May.

He will play both the corner outfield and infield spots on his rehab assignment. Chisenhall -- who has been out all season with a fractured right index finger -- has plenty of infield experience but hasn’t started a game there since 2015.

Chisenhall has been on the disabled list since the start of the season after he was plunked in the right hand in a Grapefruit League contest. Even if he doesn’t begin the rehab assignment this weekend, it sounds like the outfielder is making progress, and he should be ready to play for the Pirates before the middle of May. The question is now what kind of role he’ll play, especially with Melky Cabrera playing well.

Chisenhall suffered the injury earlier this week when he was hit by a pitch and will be sidelined for at least the next 4-6 weeks. Melky Cabrera could get regular looks in right field until Gregory Polanco is recovered from shoulder surgery.

Chisenhall left Monday’s game after he was hit in the right hand by a pitch. He’s still being treated and evaluated, but there should be more clarity on his status over the next day.